Saturday / Naaman takes a bath
Read 2 Kings 5: 1-15 (NLT)
The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.
At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!
Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Think
Naaman went to the Prophet Elisha expecting a big show. After all, he was an important man, and he was used to having a big fuss made over him in his hometown. So, when Elisha didn’t even come out to meet him, Naaman got angry. Lucky for him, his servants had a different view of things. They spoke to him quietly, reasonably reminding him that what Elisha had ordered was really just a small thing, so why not go and do it?
Of course, when Naaman did bathe in the Jordan, he was healed. He did a relatively small, easy thing, and God gave him a great thing in return.
God talks to me the same way. I go to God in prayer and ask for something. Then God gives me an answer—just do this small thing. But I don’t want small answers; I want to make a big splashy show for God. I don’t want to hear that God only needs me to do a small thing. My ego wants to do the big thing and have a fuss made over me. But sometimes all it takes is a small act on my part for God to do a great thing.
I need to learn that whatever God asks me to do is important to God. Whether it’s writing a get-well card for my church’s greeting ministry, baking a pie for a fund-raising meal, or donating a coat for a clothing drive. These are small things God uses to make a big difference in the world. Really, no act done for God is a small thing because God can use everything I do for God’s purposes.
Pray
Lord of all things big and small, I know I tend to want attention and glory for myself. I say I’m not doing things to get recognition, but really, I’m not telling the whole truth. I enjoy getting attention for doing good things. My motives are selfish. Help me change the way I think, Lord. Help me understand that the things you ask me to do and the way you want me to live are all so you get the glory. Help me learn to do the small things you ask, willingly, gladly, so that your kingdom can grow in my life and the lives of those around me. Amen.
Do
Today, do a small thing that God can use to make a big change in your life—memorize a Bible verse. Pick a verse that seems to stick out to you, one you’ve always identified with, or just open the Bible at random and see what God shows you. Once you’ve found your verse, commit it to God; Ask God to use it in your life in a big way. Then memorize it. Read it every day, several times a day for a week. Read it every morning and evening. Recite it before you do something that you’re afraid to do. Make your memory verse part of your daily to-do list. Then watch what God does in your life.
The View from Mt. Hope 